Gurney keen to get started at Nottinghamshire

While not every county cricketer will be relishing the prospect of reporting back for training this week, Harry Gurney can’t wait.

The left-arm swing bowler, who helped Leicestershire win the Friends Life t20 last summer, has moved up the A46 to join neighbouring Nottinghamshire.

An already crowded calendar was extended for the Foxes by their participation at the end of September in the Champions League T20 in India, a competition in which Gurney also played for Leicestershire before saying his farewells.

But now the 25-year-old is raring to go with his new team and keen to make his mark in both the long and short forms of the game.

He said: “I really enjoyed my month off last October but this year I’ve been chomping at the bit, which is quite a healthy position to be in.

“I had lunch with the players during the final game of the season and have already been in to see the back room staff two or three times. I’m just very keen to get started.”

Gurney took 23 wickets at 15.39 for Leicestershire in the FLt20 during the summer, but missed out on their Finals Day triumph with a side strain.

In spite of the silverware the lure of more opportunities in four-day cricket at Notts proved too tempting, with Gurney having been restricted to a solitary County Championship appearance at Grace Road.

And the ambitious youngster is keen to emulate the success of the last Leicestershire bowler to move to Trent Bridge – once he’s established himself.

He said: “It wasn’t a financial decision at all. I found the extra security of a three-year contract at Notts rather than a two-year one at Leicester more attractive.

“The facilities at Trent Bridge are also more favourable to bowlers. That, combined with my opportunities being limited at Leicester, made the move attractive.

“The Champions League made us all feel like international cricketers for a couple of weeks and that was a fantastic experience. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t have aspirations to represent my country on that stage and to have similar experiences in the future.

“I’m hoping the move up to Trent Bridge will have a similar affect on my career as it did on Stuart Broad’s because in the time since he left Leicester he’s become a cricketing superstar.

“But I have other priorities at the moment. I have to get into the side at Notts first and put in some consistent performances. Hopefully if I do that the England selectors will take notice.”

Gurney, who was born in Nottingham but brought up in nearby Loughborough, joins a strong bowling squad at Trent Bridge.

Paul Franks, Andre Adams and Luke Fletcher have all signed new deals recently and Andy Carter, Darren Pattinson and Jake Ball are also contracted to the club.

Gurney added: “There are some great bowlers at the club and I can’t wait to learn from guys like Franks and Adams and challenge for a place in the team.”

About Robin Hutchison

Robin Hutchison is a Midlands-based sports Journalist and PR consultant. He is a regular contributor to The Cricketer magazine and currently pens their monthly betting column. He also contributes articles to a number of national newspapers including The Sun, Daily Star, Sunday Mirror and Sunday Express and is the author of The Tinman: The Ted McMinn Story.